Director Darryl Yap has reignited a public feud with veteran filmmaker Joel Lamangan by directly naming him in connection to harassment allegations made by actor Ahron Villena.
On August 25, 2024, Yap shared Villena’s Instagram post, where the actor recounted a disturbing incident from early in his career involving an unnamed director.
Villena’s post described how, during a project that required him to wear a plaster to cover his private parts, the director allegedly applied the plaster himself and made inappropriate contact with Villena. Although Villena did not name the director in his original post, Yap explicitly mentioned Lamangan in his repost on Facebook.
Yap’s caption read, “itatag ko sana si Direk Joel Lamangan at ilan pang artistang siya ang nagpaplaster ng t*t*, kaso naunfriend nya na ako nung 2022. sayang naman.”
This public callout is the latest development in a long-standing rivalry between Yap and Lamangan, which began in 2022 due to their opposing political beliefs and clashing film projects. Lamangan is known for his anti-Marcos stance, while Yap is a vocal supporter of the Marcos family.
Villena’s decision to share his experience was reportedly triggered by a recent interview in which a director made comments downplaying the seriousness of such incidents, implying they were a common occurrence in the industry. Villena’s post, though not naming anyone, led netizens to speculate that he was referring to Lamangan, especially after the veteran director’s interview with PEP on August 24, 2024.
In that interview, Lamangan acknowledged that sexual harassment and exploitation in the industry were not new issues, stating that such incidents had been happening for years but were not widely exposed. He referenced well-known figures in the industry, suggesting that many successful actors had similar experiences early in their careers.
Yap’s direct reference to Lamangan in his post adds fuel to the already heated tension between the two directors. Their rivalry became public in 2022 when Yap’s controversial film Maid in Malacañang, which portrays the final days of the Marcos family in power, drew criticism from Lamangan, a martial law activist. The feud escalated further in 2023 when their films, Yap’s Martyr or Murderer and Lamangan’s Oras de Peligro, were released around the same time, leading to sharp exchanges between the two.
As of now, Lamangan has not responded to Yap’s latest post or Villena’s allegations. The ongoing dispute between the two directors, rooted in both political and personal differences, continues to be a focal point in the entertainment industry.
